who's the fool now

 Mannie knew there were some things he had to do alone. At least, they'd found the place to go. Of course, he wasn't even sure what they were looking for, but somewhere in the depth of that water was the treasure he was supposed to bring back.

He looked over at Sadie wondering if she'd really be okay if left alone. Seriously, he hated to leave her. After all, she was on his watch.

"Will we ever get out of here?" Her eyes said it all. She hated this place. He remembered suddenly how she used to be. Funny, it took being lost in a cave to remember how much fun they used to have on these adventures, but both had lost a good bit of those memories. He knew now it was those days that had him hooked. 

He wanted to tell her how thrilled she used to be, but they were young and everything was mystic back then. Now she was a mundane working girl who wore cheap clothes with only a cat to go home to. There was a certain sorrow he felt. 

Of course, he wanted to say, "Sorry, I bothered you." But then again, that wasn't Mannie's nature.

"Hopefully," he barely got out as a lump of emotion seized his throat. He'd missed her. Maybe he'd loved her in their youth. Or was that only a figment of his imagination? His grandfather had told him tales. Obviously, he didn't listen very well.

According to the old man, there was a certain aura about her. She'd come here from a different time. The wise ones had done their best to take her powers away. Of course, now she was practically a shell of a person. Still quirky, but ditzy too. It was amazing she'd survived in the real world. 

"There's also something else I should tell you," Mannie winced, thinking he should go in the clear water and find what was needed, but what if he didn't make it back. 

"What?" She looked at him perturbed with her arms crossed.

"You're pretty spunky, you know that." Mannie smiled with a nod. "I know, you've forgotten me."

She only winked at him as if he was the crazy one, not her.

He sighed then.

"There is something you should know."

"Oh really, that I'm a fool for following you?" She didn't smile.

"There's this very old soul, still living in you." With that, he came close and pressed his index finger in the middle of your chest.

Sadie squinted harder and backed away. Her foot slightly slipped on the rocks, but he caught her before she could fall into the waters surrounding the waterfall.

"It likes to play tricks." He explained. "Or maybe it just evolved."

"Evolved?" She kept even lipped.

"I guess that's what happens when you have no real friends." He let go with a shrug.

"What are you talking about?" She tilted her head, looking at him as if this was no time to play mind games.

He only smiled.

"You've got a lot of life in you, still." He chuckled.

"Well, it doesn't feel like it at the moment," Sadie took a good look at him. "Get the goddamn treasure and let's get out of here!" She pushed him with all her might and he fell back into the calm waters.

"You can make your imaginary friends real!" was that last thing he remembered saying to her.

together again

 "Well, I'm not sleeping with you," Penny made clear when Bently asked about it. "Hell, babe..you're not even old enough to drink with..much less coffee." 

She'd made samples of her milk tea with Earl Gray and another with lavender. She'd gotten the recipes off YouTube.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings," she sighed. "But I think we might be soul mates and soul mates just don't sleep together." She thought that was the rule, but she'd google it, if he wanted her to.

"I sleep better by myself anyway," he snapped and went to take a good long drink of the iced tea with a metal straw. Of course, he almost choked. The lavender was evidently a bit much. He went with the Earl Gray. 

Penny gave him a pat on a back. Besides, she did enjoy babying him. Maybe he was like a little brother she never had. She smiled. Honestly, he was adorable. He was the only good thing that had happened since Sadie went away.

"Liam is a grown man," she went on to say. "He's human, isn't he?"

Bently nodded, and they went to sit on the couch in the comic book store to look through a stack of comic books. 

"I think he's human," she looked out the corner of her eye. Really, she couldn't think of him actually having sex with anyone, either. "Maybe you were dreaming."

"I was not dreaming," Ben said as he sipped on the tea and looked through the comics of superheroes. 

"I wish I could call Sadie," Penny sighed. "If only they could get some reception. I'd feel so much better if I knew exactly where she was."

"What?" He didn't look at her. She elbowed him and told him to stop thinking about Liam.

"Just how much did you see?" Penny wanted to know.

"I'm not telling." Ben was closed-lipped about it. She winced and shook her head, no. God, he'd gotten her curiosity going. 

"I might have to spend the night so I can investigate this with you." She told him with a sly smile.

"Huh?" He winced and looked back at her.

Seriously, Penny loved spending time with Bentley. Truly, she wasn't making up shit. She felt as if he just might be her soul mate.

things in the night

 Bentley was beginning to think the only person he had to talk to was Penny. He guessed he could have it worse. Yet, he was feeling blue. As if maybe he was a lost soul in the comic book store.

He went to bed early because it felt like he'd spent days getting all the books organized. Naturally, no one came to look. Maybe Penny was right, they should start making milk tea. They needed something to bring in customers.

Perhaps, that was what left him tossing and turning. But it was the voices too. Murmurs perhaps. Suddenly, he threw the covers back and reached for the light. No way was their ghosts. He'd never heard anyone speak of it.

He winced hard. If only Mannie was home. When would he ever get back? What was he up to with Sadie?

Suddenly, he felt so alone. As if no one really cared what happened to him. He thought he might cry but held it in. He went to Liam's door. Of course, Liam didn't answer when he knocked. Bently waited. But he couldn't wait too long. 

Bently turned the knob and carefully opened the door. He hopes Liam was home, and he was. But he wasn't alone.

Ben could hardly believe his eyes. Liam was with a woman. A WOMAN. 

Shocked. Ben shut the door and went straight to the bathroom. After he relieved himself, he walked back and forth for a bit wondering what he could do about this. What would Mannie do? What would he think?

All this time, Bently thought Liam was surely a priest of some kind. He'd never, Bently thought.

Just then the bathroom door opened and it was Liam.

"What are you doing, man?" Liam winced. "Just standing here in the dark?"

"Oh, I..I had a bad dream." No way could Ben mention what he'd saw. "I..just..."

"Go to bed!" Liam ordered. He needed to pee.

Ben nodded and slightly moved on. Liam shut the door behind him.

Ben nodded. How did Liam do it. Just how did you get a girl to sleep with you.